Affairs to be solved
by Joni
Summary: Rinoa goes back to Timber to fight for its freedom. But will Seifer be able to pass his SeeD exam? What are the Galbadians up to? What does Squall do? The upcoming historical events will affect everyone's future.
1. Choices and exams

After Ultimecia was killed, the world calmed down a little. However, the situation in Timber was quite hopeless, because it was still under Galbadian occupation. There was no active resistance movement anymore, after Forest Owls had split up. And to make things even worse, Winzer Deling's son now ruled the country, and he was even more frightening leader than his father. 

Rinoa had promised to help Timber regain its independence, but she had fallen in love with Squall. Now she had to make a choice: would she stay at Balamb Garden with the one she loved, or would she reunite Forest Owls and go back to Timber? In the end, it was an easy selection.

"Squall... I must go to Timber. I cannot betray them..." she said while sitting on Squall's bed.

"I understand... but I don't want you to go," Squall responded.

"Do you think that I want to go? No way. But I won't rest before Timber is free. And since Garden doesn't want to support us..."

"You know that it's too risky for Garden to mess with such a hostile nation as Galbadia. And if we can't do anything, do you think that Forest Owls can?"

"Someone must do something. And it doesn't matter how powerful you are. You just need to try hard."

"I hope you are right..."

* * *

At the same time, Seifer was fighting a T-Rexaur in the Training Centre. He had been allowed to take the SeeD field exam again. Normally the students went to the Fire Cavern to take the exam, but it hadn't been used since Ifrit was beaten by Squall and Quistis. 

"You can do it!" Raijin, who had already passed the test, shouted.

"Please, keep your voice down," Xu said. She had never wanted to supervise Seifer, Raijin and Fujin, but she had had to. She remembered that she had once said that Seifer would never become a SeeD. Now she was afraid that she might've been wrong.

"Take this!" Seifer shouted and slashed the enemy with his gunblade. It retaliated with a thunder spell, but he evaded it easily. After that, he casted thundaga and it was enough to kill the T-Rexaur.

"Good job," Fujin congratulated.

"Thanks..."

In fact, the whole test had been a piece of cake for him.

* * *

Quistis was walking towards the library when Xu came out of the Training Centre, followed by the three SeeD candidates. 

"Well, well, if it isn't my favourite instructor," Seifer said, grinning.

Quistis ignored him. "What's up, Xu?" she asked.

"Well, as you can see, I had to be the supervisor for these three." Xu glanced at them.

"Sounds like fun," Quistis said sarcastically.

"Yeah, right." Xu turned around to face Seifer. "You three, dismissed!"

Seifer's posse, or the disciplinary committee of the Garden, went to their own ways.

"Do you think they'll pass?" Quistis asked.

"They did a good job and the exam was easy for their skills. We'll just have to wait for the results..."


	2. Surprises

The morning was chilly. It was still a little dark as Rinoa walked along the road that connected Balamb with Garden. The White SeeD Ship, where Zone and Watts were on, was probably waiting for her already. The White SeeD had promised to take them all to Timber, but still, Rinoa was quite sure that they wouldn't wait her if she was late. She decided to hurry. 

Finally she reached the town. She walked past the gas station which hadn't opened yet, and through the quiet main street. Some fishermen had already gathered to the harbor, which was otherwise empty of people, to look at the massive white ship.

"Rinoa Heartilly?" a sailor asked when she walked up to the deck.

"Yes, that's me."

"Welcome on board! Zone and Watts are waiting for you inside."

Rinoa went inside to the hallway, where Zone and Watts were standing. They hadn't changed at all: Zone looked a bit pale like always and Watts was still wearing his worn yellow vest. They both had been employed to the ship a while after they had been rescued by the White SeeD.

Zone gave her a hug. "Yay! Rinoa's back!"

"Nice to see you again!" Watts said and hugged her as well.

"Hey, it's nice to be here!" Rinoa smiled warmly.

"So, how did you get these guys to come pick you up?" Watts asked.

"You know... I talked with Headmaster Cid and he talked to his wife, Edea..."

"I see. So it must be something important that you came here for?"

"I'm here to reunite the Forest Owls!"

You could clearly see how surprised Zone and Watts were. They were both silent.

"Ow-ow-owowowow... my stomach hurts!" Zone finally complained loudly. Rinoa's plans had come as a total surprise.

* * *

The three of them talked about it. 

"Freeing Timber has always felt impossible," Watts said. "My dad tried it with Zone's father a long time ago, but failed. And you gotta admit: we haven't been too succesful, either. Besides, that new president of Galbadia is crazy, even compared to old President Deling. He has increased the number of soldiers in Timber quite dramatically..."

Rinoa looked disappointed. "You won't help?"

"That's not what I said. It will be hard, and there's a really tiny chance to succeed. But if there is any kind of chance at all, I want to believe in it! Right, Zone?"

"Right! Let's rock!"

* * *

Later that day, in Balamb Garden, Seifer stood in row with Raijin, Fujin and two other students on the hallway of the second floor, waiting for results. He had to admit that he was nervous. 

Xu arrived. "Here are the results... Raijin."

"YEAH!"

"Fujin..."

"Great."

"And... this is weird." Xu looked at the paper she was holding. "Seifer's name is here... but it doesn't say if you passed or not."

Seifer was confused. "What!"

"I don't know." Xu shrugged her shoulders. "You three had better go see the Headmaster. Dismissed!"

* * *

The Headmaster was standing on the third floor with his hands behind his back, waiting for the disciplinary committee. 

"Did I make it or not?" Seifer demanded to know when he arrived.

"Where are your manners?" the Headmaster asked. "I'm going to talk about it..."

Seifer felt tense. He wanted to beat the truth out of the old man, but controlled himself. _Man! What am I even thinking?_

"It was hard for me to choose who becomes a SeeD," Cid continued. "The field exam was way too easy for you. Besides, I still remember your past field test, Seifer. The one in Dollet..."

"But that was a long time ago."

"Hmm-m. I know that, but I'm not sure if can trust you. That's why I ended up with an unusual decision. I will give you a temporary SeeD membership. You can make it permanent as soon as we get a new mission where you can prove your skills..."


	3. Back in Timber

Squall was lying on his bed with nothing to do. He was alone. _Alone._ That word sounded familiar to him. He had been called a lone wolf as long as he could remember. Then he met Rinoa and found a new side from himself: the Squall, who didn't want to be lonely. But now Rinoa was gone, with no clue when she would return, and he would have to get used to loneliness again. 

_I wonder what she's doing right now...

* * *

_  
Rinoa was approaching Timber with Zone and Watts. The White SeeDs had left them to a coast near the city.

"Look," Rinoa said and pointed at the city gate. "Two guards."

"Let's hope that they won't recognize us," Watts said and started walking towards the gate.

"Why do you want to enter Timber!" the other soldier asked demandingly.

"We came to visit some friends of ours," Zone lied.

The soldiers stared at them for a moment, making them feel uncomfortable.

"I think we can let them in," the soldier finally said.

Timber was its usual self. Some Galbadian soldiers were patrolling the streets and ordinary people walked on the streets occasionally, obviously avoiding the soldiers. It had once been a lively city but the Galbadians had ruined its atmosphere completely during the eighteen years of occupation, by destroying things that the Timberians loved and replacing them by things that they hated. Now the real Timber lived only in people's minds.

"Should we go meet the Forest Fox's leader?" Rinoa asked.

Watts didn't think so: "It'd only mean trouble for them. My suggestion is that we go to a place near the TV station. It's an old little house where no one lives. It may be a little run-down, but that shouldn't matter. I used to play there with Zone when we were kids..."

"Oh, you mean the Lion's Nest?" Zone asked.

"That's right."

"Lion's Nest? Sounds good." Rinoa liked the name.

* * *

In Balamb Garden, Headmaster Cid had announced Squall to come to the bridge. Quistis and Zell were already there. 

"What is it, sir?" Squall asked.

"Nothing special," the Headmaster said and smiled politely. "I just need the three of you to escort a VIP here from Balamb."

"Who is this VIP?"

"The prime minister of Dollet. It is still unknown why he wants to meet me. I suspect that it might have something to do with Galbadia..."

* * *

The prime minister came to Balamb by a small ship. He was an important-looking, middle-aged man in good shape. He wore a business suit and had a black briefcase on his hand. 

"You must be the SeeDs that Cid sent to escort me," he said.

"Correct," Squall responded. "Please follow me. Your car is over there..."

"Alright."

* * *

Headmaster Cid was waiting for his guest at the parking lot when they arrived. 

Cid introduced himself: "Cid Kramer."

They shaked hands. "Vincent Gunzler."

"So... I have understood that you wanted to talk with me about something. Oh, Squall and the rest, could you leave us..."

"No. Let them be. Depending on your choice, my request may affect everyone in this Garden."

"What is it?"

"Let me get straight to the point. I'm here to ask military support against Galbadia."


	4. Rude guests

Cid was surprised by Gunzler's request. "Mr. Gunzler... you must be aware of B-Garden's neutrality," he said. 

"I understand that this might've come as a shock for you," Gunzler explained, "but you probably realize that Galbadia seeks world domination."

"Even so... it would be a great risk for Balamb Garden to get involved. Maybe you'd better consult the officials of Trabia or Galbadia Garden."

"Galbadia Garden has been under their government's rule for a while already, even though they won't admit that officially. And Trabia is still in ruins because of that missile attack."

"You have put me in a hard position," Cid said and took a serious expession.

"I know, but please, you must consider helping Dollet. They might invade any day..."

Cid sighed. "I will think this over and let you know about my decision in the evening."

* * *

Rinoa had met some of her old friends and gathered useful information about Timber's current situation. She was now returning to Lion's Nest, which had been used as a storage for the bar nearby and then abandoned. It was a little house that was desperately in need of repair. 

"Hi, everyone."

Zone and Watts were playing triple triad as Rinoa entered the house.

"So, you've got any new information?" Watts asked.

"A lot!" Rinoa sat down. "There are no resistance movements here these days; President Deling has taken care of that. The Galbadians have extablished a military base near the railway station and they are recruiting new members to their army directly from G-Garden."

"Sounds bad." Zone sighed. "How are we ever gonna free this place if they've got a god damn military base here?"

"Unless we do something about that base, there is no hope..." Watts said.

* * *

In Deling City, a couple of soldiers entered General Caraway's mansion. 

"Good evening," Caraway said politely. "How can I help you?"

"You can help us by getting the heck out of here!"

He was shocked. "Excuse me...!"

"The President doesn't like people who plot behind his back."

"What! I've been perfectly loyal to him!"

"Well, your daughter, the member of a terrorist organisation, hasn't!"

_Rinoa..._

The soldiers literally dragged him out of the building and threw him on the sidewalk, like a garbage bag. Some people gathered around him to see what was happening.

"C'mon, get outta here!" a soldier ordered.

Caraway rose up slowly and walked away, hanging his head. He was sad and insulted. The new president was paranoid but Caraway could've never expected to be treated like that. The feelings of rage and hatred boiled inside him as he took the course towards the railway station.

_They shall hear from me again!

* * *

_  
Headmaster Cid had made his decision about Gunzler's request. He had called him and Squall to his office.

"I've thought this over and over," he started. "Our Garden barely evaded Galbadia's missile attack, which shows how dangerous they can be. I believe that you're not concerned because of nothing, Mr. Gunzler; they are probably planning on invading Dollet. That's why I have decided to support Dollet to defend itself."

"You have made the right decision, Mr. Kramer!"


	5. Caraway's plans

The B-Garden was approaching Dollet. Squall was standing at the exit of second floor, leaning on the edge. He had a lot to think about; the upcoming battles, would they end up in war with Galbadia... but above that all, he was thinking about Rinoa. He was missing her so much, that he was almost thankful to Seifer, who came to interfere his thinking. 

"Great view... unfortunately, the company's not as good."

Squall wondered if Seifer tried to pick a fight. "Whatever..."

"Haha, I'm having a great time as a SeeD member. You guys have great privileges!"

"Whatever..."

"Is that the only thing you can say?"

"sigh No. I'm just not interested in fighting with you."

"I see. Well, you're a wise guy. You'd lose, anyway."

"Just shut up, Seifer. We're almost in Dollet."

They heard an announcement from Cid: "Squall, please come meet me in my office."

"Go on, obey your master."

Squall ignored Seifer, who grinned annoyingly. He left and took the elevator to the third floor.

"What is it, sir?" he asked from Cid, who looked serious.

"As you know, we have to prepare for hostilities from Galbadia. They may attack Dollet... they may attack even this Garden. That's why we need someone to take care of this place."

"And that someone will be...?"

"That will be me. I have other plans for you. You shall take the leadership of all our military forces in Dollet."

That was something that Squall had expected. However, he wasn't very pleased. He would have to take a great responsibility and bare all the consequences of his actions by himself. That was something he wasn't prepared to do.

"Sir, I ask you to give that position to someone else."

"Nonsense. I believe in you. Don't let me down."

* * *

Caraway's train arrived in Dollet. During the trip, the former general had had time to figure out what to do next. When he exited the railway station, he was really surprised to see that his destination, the B-Garden, had landed on the Lapin Beach. However, it was quite safe to assume that they were there to support Dollet. 

He was happy to see Squall amongst the people swarming on the beach as he arrived there.

Squall didn't believe his eyes. "General Caraway!"

"A former general. I'd better explain..."

After Squall had heard about yesterday's happenings, he asked:

"Why did you come here, then?"

"I have some pride, you know. I won't let them treat me like a dog, after everything that I've done for them!" Caraway sounded like he was holding a speech. "I realized that I have been a fool, working for them. I'm here to correct the mistakes I've made. In fact, I came here to meet Rinoa..."

"You're late. She went back to Timber..."

"Oh. Damn. I guess that I'll have to follow her, but first I wanna meet Headmaster Cid."

* * *

Headmaster Cid, Vincent Gunzler, Caraway and Squall gathered at the B-Garden. Caraway told them everything that might help them against Galbadia: their military capasity, weaponry, strategies... 

"I have a question," Gunzler said after Caraway had finished. "I understand that you are insulted, but it is a treason to hand over that kind of secret information to the enemy. You are actually ready to betray your own country?"

"Betray? I love my homeland, but I'm not blind. I will do everything I can to prevent other, innocent nations to be taken over by our dictator, who only harms Galbadia. I'm betraying my country only to save it from President Deling."

"I believe in you," Headmaster Cid said. "The information you provided us with might become useful if we have to fight them. But why are you going to go to Timber?"

"Isn't that obvious? I'm going there to help my daughter in her fight for Timber's freedom. I never believed that I would do something like that..."

"In my opinion, the Garden should finally start supporting Forest Owls," Squall said. "If a war between Dollet and Galbadia started, any kind of fighting in Timber would be more than welcome for us."

"What are you suggesting?" Cid asked.

"Well, I think that I'll send someone to escort Mr. Caraway to Timber. That person can ask about their plans and what kind of support they will need..."

* * *

Author's note: There's been a lot of talk but no action yet. I hope you aren't getting bored... 


	6. Declaration of war

Zell was driving towards Timber in a rental car with Caraway. Dollet's preparations of war could be seen everywhere; there were soldiers, army vehicles and army camps everywhere. They had to stop at a checkpoint in a pass near the Galbadian border. 

"Good afternoon," a soldier said as he looked inside from the side window.

"Good afternoon," Zell responded.

"It is rather unusual to see civilians here these days. Why are you going to Galbadia?"

"It is an order from Balamb Garden and the government of Dollet. Take a look." Zell handed over a paper. The soldier took a quick look at it and gave it back.

"I see, sir. You're free to go. There shouldn't be any Galbadian checkpoints or anything yet, so you can drive in peace."

"Great. Thank you."

A little later, Caraway asked: "You know, if a war brokes out, they'll probably seal that pass. If that happens, how are we gonna get back?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to hope that nothing happens..."

It took a few hours to get to Timber. After they had parked the car, it was time to go look for the Forest Owls. They had luck: the chief of Forest Fox, the same woman who had helped them in the past, knew where they were. With her help they found the Lion's Nest quite easily.

"Who is it!" Rinoa startled when they opened the door. "Zell? F-father...?"

"Hello, Rinoa," her father said calmly.

"Man... what are you guys doing here?"

Zone and Watts came to see what was going on. Caraway suggested that they'd all sit down.

"B-Garden finally agreed to help you guys," Zell told and explained the situation between Galbadia and Dollet briefly.

"I see," Rinoa said and asked: "But what are you, dad, doing here?"

"Well, they fired me, which is quite logical, I guess. As you know, I have always done my best to prevent Galbadia from attacking anywhere, but that hasn't always been enough. Now I'm free to join the Forest Owls!"

"What!" Rinoa couldn't believe what she heard.

"I understand your reaction."

"Damn! While we have been working hard to help Timber regain independence, all you have done is sitting in your fancy mansion in that stupid uniform. And now you want to join us!"

Watts, who was looking out from the window, interrupted them: "Guys... it's hard to see it from here, but it seems like that huge TV is on..."

The last time, when the giant screen of the TV station was turned on, had been when Quistis and Seifer had been there... yes, everyone remembered that too well. They all ran to see what was going on. There were a lot of people and soldiers around, and some old man seemed to be behind the screen.

"People of Timber... can you hear me?" he started. "I'm the representative of the Galbadian government and I have an important announcement to make. I have just received the information that our forces have attacked Dollet a few minutes ago..."

"This fast!" Zell was outraged.

"Shhh..."

The representative continued: "We except fierce resistance, but our military capasity is far greater than theirs. The war will probably last only for a few weeks..."

"Hmph. At least that is true," Caraway said. The crowds became restless, without knowing how to react.

It wasn't hard to guess what it was like in Cid's office.

* * *

"This was totally unexpected!" Gunzler said, reading the declaration of war. He had received it a while ago, almost at the same when the Galbadians had attacked. "How can they possibly attack so fast!" 

"Calm down," Cid commanded. "Squall, what is your opinion?"

"Well... it was a complete surprise attack. According to information that I received from the battlefield a while ago, it seems like our troops have already suffered some losses. I'm sure that we will be able to stop them, but we can't hold them back for long."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"No. Unless... there may still be an option. It is not my job to suggest anything like this, but has anyone thought that we could contact Esthar and ask them to help us out?"

"Yes, we have thought about that option," Gunzler said. "It's just that we can't contact them! I mean, they're so isolated that we haven't been able to send anyone there..."

"I've been there before," Squall said. "I can give directions how to get there. We just need someone to go."

Gunzler thought about it for a while.

"I'll go," he finally decided. "Can you send someone to escort me?"

"Phew... I must think... hmm... I don't think you should go at all, Mr. Gunzler, but I can see that you have made your decision. Seifer, Raijin and Fujin can come with you."


	7. Heading towards Esthar

Vincent Gunzler arrived in Fisherman's Horizon with his "bodyguards". The weather was sunny and calm, and birds were flying in the blue sky, like they had nothing to worry about. Gunzler wished that he could share the same feeling. 

"Shall we stay here for a while...?" Seifer asked.

"No. We have to hurry," Gunzler said and started walking along the railroad. "We should be at the Great Salt Lake by the evening."

Seifer wiped the sweat off his forehead and followed him with Fujin and Raijin. It was going to be a long and boring journey... First his feet would start aching, then he would feel tired, but still he'd have to keep on walking.

"Compared to this, fighting against the Galbadians would be fun."

Gunzler looked at Seifer angrily. "Our soldiers are sacrificing their lives for Dollet. I respect them for that."

"Whatever."

Seifer had never understood people like Gunzler: the ones, who wanted to do everything for their homeland. It was the same land to him, whether it was Trabia or Centra. Or Balamb. _Just a surface where all the living things can stand on. People can build borders and found nations... so what? In the end, they'll all just end up fighting against each others. It would be a lot easier if there was just one common land for everyone to live...

* * *

_  
Dollet seemed to be on its knees at the war against the almighty Republic of Galbadia. Still, Timber's situation was even worse, because the Galbadian army base gave them a total control over the city and its people. It was a big and heavily guarded facility, surrounded by an electric fence. There was no chance of regaining independence when that ugly building stood there.

"It drives me crazy," Rinoa complained to Zell, looking at the base. "That building contains the weapons that we need. Still, we cannot do anything because that building is there!"

"Yeah... they have better security nowadays. And even if we got inside, there'd be no chance to bring the weapons outside."

Zell frowned. He felt like he was there for nothing, with no chance of getting back to Dollet. The atmosphere of the city was starting to affect his attitude. Normally he was bright and cheerful, but now he was serious and frustrated.

"Hey, cheer up. You're starting to look like Squall."

Zell laughed. "Haha, I've always been trying to avoid that."

* * *

After a night outside, nobody felt like continuing. Still, Gunzler wanted to go on and get to Esthar before it'd be too late (it was useless to tell him that they had enough time). The terrain, where they had slept, had been rocky and hard and the night had been chilly. 

Seifer sighed. "Man... I can't believe that we still have to cross the Great Salt Lake!"

"What are you saying?" Gunzler grinned. "A youngster like you is starting to get tired? And an old man like me feels like he could go on forever!"

Seifer cursed silently. Was the prime minister mocking him? He knew one thing: he didn't like him one bit.

"Listen." Fujin looked around her, worried.

"What is it?" Raijin asked.

"...nothing."

They continued walking in silence until Fujin stopped again.

"I hear something."

Now they all heard a weird growling noice. Then, a big flying monster appeared. It was at least two and half meters tall and its wings were blue as the ocean. And its sharp claws looked like they could rip almost anything to pieces...

"Stay back, mister Gunzler!" Seifer shouted and pulled out his Gunblade. "We'll kick its ass!"

But the flying creature was too fast and strong. Seifer didn't manage to slash it at all and neither could Fujin or Raijin. Their magic spells didn't do any harm to it and it seemed to absorb all elemental spells.

"Watch out, guys! I'm going to use a GF..."

"Not yet, Seifer!" Gunzler shouted and rushed towards the monster. He kicked it a few times with amazing speed and then casted a status spell. The bird became confused and Seifer used that as an advantage, thrusting his gunblade into it. It spinned in the air for a few times and finally crashed to the ground.

"Where the hell have you learned to fight like that!" Raijin asked, surprised.

"Haha. I've still got a thing or two to teach to the youngsters," Gunzler laughed. "After all, I trained troops in the Sorceress War."

Seifer had to admit that he was positively surprised. He had thought that Gunzler was just another clown hiding behind his suit, and that only the urge to help Dollet had driven him this far. Despite the first impression, he was beginning to admire this man.

"Look at that," Fujin said and pointed towards the dead monster. "A GF..."

"Fujin, you take it," Seifer said and started walking. "What are you waiting for, everyone? We must hurry!"


	8. Laguna

Squall was sitting in the cafeteria of the Garden with an empty bottle of lemonade in front of him. He was staring at the wall, looking like he was deep in his thoughts. A report, which he had just received from the battlefield, had given no hope for Dollet. 

"Squall? What's wrong?"

"Hm? Oh, hi Quistis. Sit down."

"You look strange."

"It's nothing... this war's just been stressing me."

"Any news from the frontline?"

"Yeah. We've been providing the soldiers of Dollet with supplies and food but they're just too tired to fight. It seems like the Galbadians will reach the city by tomorrow evening."

Quistis looked thoughtful. "Hmm. Looks bad. And Zell is still in Timber with Caraway and Rinoa."

"Yes. Isn't life so fucking great?"

"Well, at least we can still hope for help from Esthar..."

* * *

Yes, Esthar. Vincent Gunzler had reached the city with his companions. It was as futuristic as usual with its airships, floating cars and skyscrapers. Its various stores and sights were tempting, but our "heroes" had to hurry to meet Laguna Loire. 

"Welcome to Esthar! Haven't seen you for a while," he said when they arrived in the Presidential Palace. Kiros and Ward were also there.

"Yeah. It's been at least twenty years. Please excuse my rudeness, but the reason why I'm here is extremely important."

"Let's not waste any time then. So, what made you come this far?"

"Well, it is about the ongoing war between Dollet and Galbadia. Balamb Garden is supporting us in our efforts to maintain our independence, but I'm afraid that's not enough. I'm sure that Esthar would have the necessary force to end the war."

"Ah, I see. I knew to except something like this..."

* * *

Author's note: Sorry about the short chapter. I've been a little ill lately and haven't been able to write. It always takes me a day or two before I can write good chapters again :( .  



	9. Miracles still happen

The Galbadian troops reached the city of Dollet sooner than anyone expected, and the enemy had taken over half of the city by the afternoon. There was fire and smoke everywhere and people, who had lost their homes, were running in panic, looking for a shelter. Occasionally you could see a man partially buried in ruins of a collapsed house or a child separated from his parents. The habitants hadn't been evacuated in time (there had been no chance to do so, because there wasn't any transportation suited for carrying big crowds of people) and that's why they had to face the cruelty of the war, just like the soldiers. 

Balamb Garden (and Balamb) was in difficult situation, because it wasn't officially in war with Galbadia, but it was unsure if it was safe for the Garden to stay in the city. Headmaster Cid and Squall were having a heated discussion about this topic.

"Squall, we cannot risk the lives of the people in this Garden! I am going to tell them to take course back to Balamb."

"But why? We have promised to support them till the end. Besides, we haven't lost yet! We don't know if Esthar will become our ally! Zell might return!"

"Don't you get it! This war will end today, and it will end in Galbadia's victory. You can't just trust that things will turn out okay."

"But... phew. I guess you are right."

Squall looked sad, maybe a little disappointed. His important role in the war had made it an obsession to him.

Xu rushed into Cid's office. "Headmaster! Squall! You two, you'd better come to the 2nd floor deck!"

She told them what was happening, but they had prove that with their own eyes. A miracle had happened! And that miracle came in the form of Ragnarok. The massive red ship was flying in the sky like the GF Phoenix; coming to revive dead fighters. What a beautiful sight that was!

"Let's get down to the beach!" Headmaster said, filled with enthusiasm.

* * *

After the airship (or spaceship) had landed safely, its door opened and Laguna descended to the beach, followed by Kiros, Ward, Vincent Gunzler and the disciplinary committee of B-Garden. Laguna shaked hands with Cid. 

"Seems like we arrived in time," he said. "I have a bunch of soldiers on board right now, and there are more coming later. We have a lot to discuss and a lot of bureocracy to deal with, but let's do that later."

"Agreed. Now we just have to concentrate on pushing the Galbadians out of the city."

"Excuse me." Squall shaked hands with Laguna. "I need to ask you a favor..."

"Sure, Squall. What is it?"

"I sent Zell with... an another person to Timber." He felt it'd be too complicated to talk about the former Galbadian general. "They won't be able to come back here because of the war. But if I could use Ragnarok..."

"Hmm. Alright, but don't let them damage it! I'll make Kiros and Ward come with you."

"Great."


	10. Back together

After the Galbadians had been pushed out of the city, Squall departed for Timber. 

"How are we going to locate your friend?" Kiros asked.

"Don't worry about that," Squall said while piloting Ragnarok. "It should be enough if we just float around some spot for a while. They'll recognize this ship when they see it."

"Ok."

The great airship was definately noticed when it flew above the city. People stopped to look at the sky and soldiers grabbed their swords, fearing an attack from some unknown power. Zell and Rinoa happened to be near the Timber Maniacs when they saw it.

"I thought that Laguna got to keep that ship," Zell said, amazed.

"Who knows... look, it stopped! Come on!"

They went quickly to the railway station where the ship was waiting. Squall saw them.

"There they are!" he yelled in excitement. "Uh... which button opens the door?"

It was a moment of joy and happiness when Rinoa and Squall met again and embraced each others.

"Squall..."

"Rinoa... I finally see you again. I love you so much..."

* * *

After the little tender moment of Squall and Rinoa they started talking about what to do next. Rinoa told them about the military base in the city.

"I have a suggestion," Kiros said. "We carried some supplies on this ship. There should still be a bomb or two on board. We could drop them on that base from here..."

"That's right!" Zell obviously liked the idea. "How powerful are the bombs?"

"Not very powerful."

"Good. The building shouldn't collapse from damage like that. We could use the chaos that the bombs cause as our advantage and attack the base! It shouldn't be too hard to get rid of the remaining soldiers since they won't expect a sudden attack like that. But what do we do then?"

"Create some action!" Rinoa said happily. "The people will see the explosions and come to see what's happening. Then we'll just take the weapons and share them to the people."

"You think they'll go against the Galbadians?" Squall asked doubtfully. "Sounds a little too risky."

"We have to try."

* * *

Author's notice: Man, I didn't drink enough coffee. It is the mystical force that drives me writing in the night O.o. Its effect faded while I was writing this chapter, so this didn't become as good as I wished it to be. Of course, I could've just stopped writing this and continued tomorrow, but I never do that. Lol. 'Goes nuts' (asterisk doesn't work here) I seriously need to go to sleep O.o. 


	11. Blackmail

The operation in Timber was a success. It had been more than easy to invade the military base after the bombs had been dropped. The people had come to see what's happening and Zone and Watts had started giving weapons to them, encouraging them to drive the Galbadians out of the city. Most of the soldiers had escaped from the city and people had declared the country independent. 

This all was very troubling for the government of Galbadia, although President Deling didn't think about that when he was getting ready to go to work.

"I'll try to get back early," he said to his wife and children before he left. His private limousine was already waiting for him in the yard. The driver smiled politely and opened the door for him.

Deling City was such a beautiful place in his opinion. Unfortunately its inhabitants didn't have as good president as they deserved. The president had never liked the way his father, Vinzer, used to lead the country. After Edea had killed Vinzer Deling during the parade, his only son, Garett Deling, had taken over his job. When he had kept his first speech to the public, he had talked about how he would make Galbadia a free, democratic country. But only because of a little mistake, he couldn't keep his promises.

"Miss Juliette is waiting in your office," a secretary said to him when arrived in Presidential Residence. His day was now ruined. Juliette was the last person he wanted to meet.

This beautiful redhead was sitting on Garett's chair, wearing her short red dress and an expensive diamond necklace, as usual.

"Good morning, Garett," she said with her cold voice.

"Yeah, yeah. What do you want?"

"Just a little favor. I want you to recognize Timber's independence."

"What?"

"You must understand... if you are going to continue your little war with Dollet, now when it's allied with Balamb and Esthar, you cannot afford to send any soldiers to take care of that rebellion in Timber."

"It's out of question! No way! I won't do it!"

"That's your decision. But I wonder what your wife will say when I tell her about our night together..."

"Phew... how long are you going to keep blackmailing me?"

"Just as long as I need. Now, will you do as I say?"

"Yes."

"That's a good boy."


	12. Independence

Garett Deling felt extremely uncomfortable when he was standing behind the camera. He believed that the whole continent should be ruled by Galbadia but now he was about to make Timber officially independent. If there was a time machine, he would've returned to the night when he cheated his wife with Juliette. Now that woman was blackmailing him and making Galbadia suffer. 

"Good evening, the citizens of Galbadia," he started talking. "I'm here because of an extremely important announcement. As you know, there has been a lot of rebelling going on in Timber lately. In my opinion, it shows that... they deserve their independence. Here I have a paper... now I'm going to sign it, and then Timber's independence will be official..."

He sat slowly on his chair and took a pen in his hand, without knowing that Juliette was listening behind the door. She really enjoyed the situation. Not that she was happy about Timber's independence, but she loved to see how the president obeyed her orders like a puppet.

Garett put his name on the paper. "There. Good night, everyone."

* * *

That broadcast surprised everybody. It was shown on the big TV screen of Timber and the people, who had come to see it, became happier than ever. That historical moment ended the 18 years of Galbadian occupation. The people started shouting things like 'We did it!' and 'No more Galbadians!'. And Forest Owls weren't any less glad. 

"Yesh! YESH!" Rinoa was like in ecstacy. "YESSSHHH!"

"Haha, it seems like our contract is over, then." Even Squall looked happy.

"Huh? Oh yeah! That contract in which you SeeDs promised to aid Forest Owls as long as Timber would be free."

"No more help from SeeD is needed!" Zone said. "We rock!"

Caraway decided to disturb their great moment. "Has anyone thought that there's no president or a government here? Or police or military?"

"That can wait. Now, let's party!"

* * *

Garett was a depressed man. If someone, who didn't know him, had come to his office, he wouldn't have believed that Garett was the feared dictator. However, Juliette knew that he was, even thought she controlled him in reality. 

"Hello," she said when came to his office.

"Juliette? Oh great. Are you happy now?"

"Very happy. Just keep doing as I say and your wife will never know anything..."

"Hmph. I'm so sick of this."

"It can't be helped. By the way, in order to take over Dollet, we have to get rid of their allies. I say that we should first take care of Balamb Garden."

"What have you got in your mind?"


	13. Gigantico

The atmosphere at the B-Garden was nervous because the G-Garden was approaching. It was impossible to say if they had come to fight, but Headmaster Cid had ordered everyone to protect the entrances just in case. Cid himself was at the bridge with Nida and Xu. 

"I think it's going to ram into us!" Nida said while looking with his binoculars.

"But why? They've already tried it once..." Xu took the binoculars.

"Nida, can you evade them?" Cid asked nervously.

"Dunno. It's gonna be hard."

It didn't take long when it hit the B-Garden for the first time, making it shake like it was an earthquake. The Galbadians had built new shelters that could withstand a great deal of damage. The technology that made the Garden fly had also been reconstructed for better maneuvering.

Seifer and Raijin were at the deck with some other, younger fighters.

"Look!" Raijin yelled and pointed at the G-Garden. It was coming closer again, and this time its door was open. There were a lot of Galbadian soldiers waiting to come inside the B-Garden.

"It's gonna hit us again! Get off the deck, it might collapse!"

It was hard to keep your balance, because the Garden shook so much when it was hit. Now the enemy was close enough to come inside.

"Attack!" the first soldiers, who jumped to the deck, shouted.

Seifer struck the first soldier ruthlessly and he almost lost his head. It was the same treatment for the next two ones who tried to come inside. Then one of the Galbadians managed to shoot a young SeeD with a gunblade, but he was impaled by spikes of ice, that were casted by Raijin.

"I'm sorry..." the young SeeD muttered with a hole on his chest. "I failed everyone..."

After those words he died. However, there was no time to feel sorry, because more Galbadians managed to come to the deck.

"DIE, BASTARDS!" Seifer shouted aggressively and started swinging his gunblade around. Even though he was able to kill an enemy, his aggression made him lose attention and another enemy was able to get behind him. He was just about to thrust his blade into Seifer's back when Raijin managed to hit him in the back of the head with his staff, making him fall down.

"I wonder how many of them we still must face," Raijin said.

"Whatever. BRING IT ON!"

Right after Seifer said that, three Galbadians came to the deck. The first one was killed by Seifer, who struck his gunblade into the poor soldier's chest. The second one was thrown out of the deck by Raijin's wind magic and the last one faced the flames of hell a little too early when Seifer casted Fire on his face. Thankfully the Garden finally turned so no more Galbadians were able to attack through the deck.

* * *

Now the enemy was able to attack through the front gate. Quistis was there with Fujin and a bunch of other SeeDs when the first soldiers came inside. 

"Let's kick their ass!" Quistis yelled as her whip cut some soldier's face.

Fujin had only one word to say: "Destroy."

The other fighters who were there besides Quistis and Fujin weren't nearly as experienced as them, and unfortunately many of them died there. But Quistis and Fujin were a deadly team. It was easy for Fujin to kill the opponents with her pinwheel when Quistis disturbed them with her whip and magic. In the end, the two of them killed more soldiers than all the other SeeDs who were there. But then they saw another squad of Galbadians preparing to attack.

"We'll never be able to beat that bunch!" Quistis said in despair.

"Hmm... I'll try out this GF I found at the Great Salt Lake. Stay back."

The monster, that Fujin transformed to, was enormous. It was almost as big as the whole G-Garden. It looked a little like Alexander, but it had huge wings on its back, like Diablos. It slammed its gigantic fist to the side of the G-Garden, making it tremble. A few more hits like that, and the Garden's shields were destroyed and this huge robot-like monster's hand went inside the facility. A second passed and a terrible explosion shook the Garden before the GF disappeared.

"Fujin!" Quistis said with trembling voice when she reappeared. "That GF was the legendary Gigantico!"

"You can tell me more later... Look!"

The Galbadia Garden was on fire. They tried to escape but didn't get far, when it crashed to the ocean, with its thousands of students inside.

"This is horrible..."

* * *

It didn't take long when Garett Deling and Juliette already heard about it. Juliette was enraged. 

"Damn it! The whole Garden... destroyed!"

"Thousands of people died... this is the worst catastrophe I've seen." Garett's hands were shaking.

"Whatever. The point is that they failed. That damn B-Garden is still there..."

"You know, if you hadn't demanded me to start a war with Dollet, this would've never happened!"

"Yeah, right. Now we need to think about what to do next. Has the missile base already been rebuilt?"

"Don't tell me..."

* * *

Author's note: Hehehe, finally some action! 


	14. Deadly skills

Garett Deling rushed out of the Presidential Residence, muttering senseless things to himself. He felt himself more free than ever, now when he had no need to care about people staring at him, or no need to worry about a possible assassin getting the chance of his life to kill him. Not anymore. After Juliette's latest proposal - or more like a demand - Garett could do the only possible thing that was left. 

He thought about his life while he was running along the sidewalk, looking like he had lost his mind. His childhood hadn't been a nice one; the cruel father had beaten the crap out of him when he had occasionally been home. Luckily his plotting for world domination had taken most of his time. When Garett had grown up, he had moved to a little palace which belonged to his father. There had been guards looking after him all the time and the only place where they had left him alone was school.

One day his father announced that if he died, Garett would become the president. By then, Garett had already married himself with the woman he loved and she gave birth to two healthy boys. Some time after his father was killed by Edea (or Ultimecia - whatever), a woman called Juliette came to work at the Presidential Residence as a secretary. Unfortunately, she seduced Garett.

That night, when he cheated his wife, he couldn't have believed what he'd have to face. He wanted to spare his wife from the truth and Juliette knew that. She first told Garett to keep running the country like his father, despite his promises to end the dictatorship. He had obeyed. That's how he had become a mere puppet for her.

Now Garett knew that if he obeyed her latest order, whole Galbadia would be destroyed. That's why his only solution was killing himself.

He came to a bridge. The men and women, who were walking there, stopped to see what was happening. Someone shouted that he should reconsider it, when he climbed on the edge. Someone else shouted that he should jump, because he had only brought misery to Galbadia.

"I'm sorry, everybody. I'M SORRY, GALBADIA!"

And then he jumped.

* * *

It didn't take long for the world to get to know about the president's recent death. People were hoping that the war would end, now when there was no Deling in the office. But Juliette wasn't going to let that happen. 

She knocked the door. "Mister prime minister?"

"What is it? I'm a little busy here..." The old, miserable looking man was sitting behind his desk, with a pile of papers in front of him.

"This won't take long. I just wanted to tell you that I've been looking at you for some time..."

"What? Who the hell are you?"

"That doesn't matter. I just wanted to tell you that you are a very handsome man..."

"Ah... umm..."

_Yeah, right. A fossil like you._ It had been easy to make Garett her little puppet by sleeping with him, but she would never do that with the ugly and fat prime minister. Never. It was time to use her special skill.

"I'd like to ask you a favor..." Her eyes started emitting a strange, reddish light. "I need you to announce... that I will become the new president of Galbadia..."

"Uh... I..."

"Pleeaseee?"

The prime minister was now completely under her control.

"I guess so..."

She grinned slyly. Her skill never failed her.

* * *

Author's notice: Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been watching ice hockey and playing Star Ocean 3 for the whole weekend... O.o.  



	15. Gunzler's story

When everything was even somehow in order in Timber, Squall was able to return to Dollet. This time he had Zell, Kiros, Ward and Rinoa with him. Zone and Watts had decided to stay in Timber with Caraway. 

"Welcome back, everyone!" Headmaster Cid said when they came to his office. "Your mission was truly a success!"

"Thank you," Rinoa and Squall said.

"Have you heard the latest news?"

"Has something unusual happened?"

"Well, the president of Galbadia died yesterday. They are going to declare someone the next president today."

* * *

Of course, such an important event was broadcasted all over the world. But since their technology concerning televisions was still quite primitive, they only managed to get an old TV wreck to Cid's office. Everyone including Seifer with his friends, Laguna with his companions, Squall and Rinoa, Quistis, Zell, Xu and Headmaster Cid gathered there to see who would become the next leader for the Republic of Galbadia. 

It took a while before the broadcast started. They showed a big stage with huge crowds of people around it. They were obviously very impatient to see their new leader.

The prime minister went to the stage and started talking. "Ahem... As you know, our president is dead. May him rest in peace. But life goes on and we have to get a new leader for this great nation. Our new leader will make history immediately, because she's the first female president in the history of Galbadia..."

The camera zoomed to Juliette.

"Wait a sec!" Laguna yelled. "I know that woman! She is Raine's sister!"

"Are you sure?" Quistis asked.

"Absolutely! I only met her once, and it's already been seventeen years, but I remember her. I'm sure of it."

The prime minister asked Juliette to come stand next to him. "People, this is the new president of our almighty republic. Juliette Gunzler!"

Everyone in Cid's office reacted similarly: "Gunzler!"

* * *

As you can guess, they all went to see Vincent Gunzler, the prime minister of Dollet. He was in his office, sitting in front of his TV. It wasn't hard for him to guess why they had come there. 

"You're probably wondering about the connection between me and Juliette, right?"

"Hell yeah," Zell said. "We don't believe that it's just a funny coincidence that you share the same last name."

"Juliette Gunzler is the sister of... a person I used to know," Laguna told him.

"Fine. I'll tell you everything." Gunzler stood up. "You're right that it isn't just a coincidence. Juliette is my ex-wife."

They were silent, but they all shared the same thoughts. _WHAT!_

Gunzler started telling his story. "It all started eighteen years ago. I was young when the Sorceress War began. As you know, Dollet didn't engage in that war, but when Esthar attacked Galbadia and Galbadia attacked Timber, whole Dollet became very concerned. That's where I came into the picture. I had joined the military some time before the war and when I got out of there, I was one of the best in the whole army. So, they asked me to join a little experiment of theirs..."

"An experiment?"

"Yes. Dollet agreed to send some soldiers to defend Timber, mostly to test their training. I was chosen to lead them. Everything went well but then Juliette came there. She made food for the soldiers and stuff... and man, was she beautiful! We fell in love and got married... Then, one night, we were sleeping. I woke up at the middle of night when I heard a strange noice from outside. The next thing I knew was that the window was broken and a smoke grenade was thrown inside. I was blinded for a moment and I couldn't escape. We all had to surrender. When they were dragging me out of the barrack, I saw Juliette standing there, talking with a Galbadian commander. I told her to run away, but she ignored me and shaked hands with that commander... She had revealed our location to the enemy."

"Damn!" Quistis folded her arms angrily. "What a bitch."

Rinoa ignored her. "What happened then?"

"They took me to interrogation. I was tortured whole night and the next day with most inhuman ways. However, I kept my mouth shut and they got bored and threw me into jail. I spent ten fucking years in that rat-infested cell!"

Gunzler banged his fist to the wall. It hurt, but he didn't complain.

"This is all too complicated," Squall complained. "How the heck did she become the president?"

"I don't know," Gunzler said and shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea what happened to her after that. But I agree with Quistis: she's a bitch."


	16. A place for negotiations

Laguna stayed with Gunzler in his office after everybody had left. 

"Juliette Gunzler is Raine's sister and your ex-wife. She betrayed you in Sorceress War and now Garett Deling mysteriously committed a suicide and she took over his job. What can we conclude?"

"I don't know. We'd have to ask her, but I'm afraid it's impossible under these circumstances..."

"Hey, I know!" Laguna snapped his fingers. "We could arrange negotiations between Dollet, Balamb, Esthar and Galbadia. If I'd give them a hint that Esthar might be willing to stop supporting Dollet, I'm sure she'd agree to come."

"Sounds good, but the negotiations must be arranged on neutral soil. Maybe Trabia?"

"Nah. They won't be able to provide necessary security and accommodation because they're still rebuilding their Garden. Besides, they might think that the Trabians are their enemies because of their close relations with Balamb."

"You're right. And Timber is still in almost chaotic state without a proper government."

"But Centra... Its population might be 1, but it's a neutral country. And I'm sure that Headmaster Cid would be able to persuade Edea to let us come there."

"Right, but there's nothing but desert on that continent. Well, except the Chocobo Forest and that old orphanage."

"And White SEED. Their ship would be more than perfect for us."

"Hey, that's right! Well, shall we go meet Cid?"

* * *

Cid liked Laguna's and Gunzler's proposal. 

"Very well. I shall travel to Centra to meet my wife, but B-Garden hasn't been fully repaired yet, so I need you to provide me some kind of transportation."

"Right. We might need Ragnarok later, so I'll give you another airship which is capable of landing there," Laguna said and added: "Don't worry, it's as good as Ragnarok."

"Good. It's just that all the SEEDs specialized in protection are occupied right now. Maybe you could...?"

"No problem. Kiros and Ward shall accompany you. They won't let you down, Mr. Kramer."

"Great. However, I'm afraid that only two persons won't be enough if something happens, so Fujin can come along, too. Just to be safe."

* * *

Author's note: I hate writing little chapters like this but sometimes you need them to take the story forwards. 


	17. A lonesome sight

Traveller X, one of Esthar's finest airships, left Dollet with Headmaster Cid on board. He was unsure about this sudden attempt of getting Juliette Gunzler to negotiate with the representatives of Dollet, Balamb and Esthar. However, he was rather happy to see his wife again. Cid had asked Edea to move to the B-Garden with him but she hadn't wanted to leave her home, even though it was in such a shabby condition. 

"When will we reach Centra?" the headmaster asked.

"Dunno," Kiros said while piloting the ship with Ward. "It's not gonna take long, though."

Cid sat down. Everything that had happened lately had been quite a stress to him. The varying success in the war, the attack against the Garden... Many of his friends had died when the G-Garden was destroyed. It had been a relief when he had heard that Irvine hadn't been there but still it was a bit too much for an old man. Sometimes he thought about moving to Centra with Edea, but now wasn't the time. A man had to do what a man had to do and to Cid it meant that he'd have to ensure the safety of the B-Garden during the war.

_But who knows what will happen after the war.

* * *

_  
Edea's house, the old orphanage, was a lonesome sight. That building, the only inhabited place on the continent, was the last trace of civilization that had once existed in Centra. Eighty years ago the phenomenom called Lunar Cry demolished everything there, filling the place with monsters, making it a deserted wasteland and a great place for a possessed sorceress to live.

"You three, could you please wait here. I want to see my wife alone first..."

"Of course, sir," Fujin said.

Headmaster Cid went inside the house.

"What a weird couple," Kiros said and leaned on the wall.

Fujin was quiet and Ward just nodded his head. Kiros tried to awake some conversation:

"You don't talk too much, don't you?" he said to Fujin.

"Only as much as I need. Now I feel like I don't need to talk. Besides, your friend seems like a quiet type, too."

"Oh, Ward is mute. He lost his voice in a battle here in Centra seventeen years ago. I was there with Laguna as well."

"Hmm. So you're older than I thought. I wonder, maybe you're too old to fight."

"Was that a challenge?"

"...no."

It became ackwardly silent again. The weather was as chilly as usual, making Kiros shiver.

"It's not unusual that old people can't stand cold." Fujin felt like she had to say that.

"Funny," Kiros responded sarcastically.

A little while later Cid came outside with Edea.

"We have come to an agreement," Edea said.

"That's right," Cid said and continued: "The negotiations shall be arranged here."


	18. Getting ready for the big day

Juliette Gunzler had just received the invitation to Centra to the negotiations. She had immediately summoned the prime minister to her office. 

"Sounds like Esthar might be pulling out of this war," she said.

"Good news for us."

"Shut up. Did I give you the permission to talk!"

"...sorry."

"Hmph. I knew since the beginning that Dollet would lose to us but I never expected Esthar to join them. If there's a possibility that they might pull out..." Juliette paused for a second and then asked: "Who are they going to send to the negotiations?"

"There's going to be Laguna Loire from Esthar..."

"The man who captured Adel and sent her to space."

"Correct. Then there will be Cid Kramer from B-Garden."

"Never heard of him."

"Vincent Gunzler from Dollet..."

"Vincent Gunzler!" Juliette was genuinely surprised. "This sounds very interesting. Prepare a ship for me. Oh, and if this is a trap, I want you to launch the missiles. I'll give you the coordinates later."

* * *

Laguna and Gunzler were already heading towards Centra in Ragnarok. 

"I have a bad feeling about this," Laguna said.

"Me too. But if something happens, Squall will lead an attack against them. How many men do we have on board?"

"Some Esthar soldiers and Squall's friends, Quistis and Zell. And his girlfriend Rinoa can fight as well, I think. Oh, and Kiros and Ward, who are already waiting for us."

"See? There's nothing to worry about. Unless Juliette has something on her mind."

"Yeah..."

* * *

The luxurious ship of the White SeeD was already there when they arrived. The young SeeDs were working hard, cleaning the deck and preparing the conference room. The flags of the four countries were waving in the wind as Gunzler and Laguna came on board. An orchestra started playing when they walked along the red carpet, followed by Squall and the others. 

"Welcome on board!"

Headmaster Cid looked like any ordinary man when standing next to Edea. She looked very impressing in her black dress when Cid looked more like an accountant in his old red vest. However, he didn't care.

They moved to the conference room.

"What happens tomorrow will probably go down in history," Edea said seriously.

"That is true," Gunzler agreed. "I wish that the mystery of Juliette will be revealed tomorrow. However, I doubt that we are able to end the war."

"Right." Laguna seemed restless. "But we'll see that tomorrow..."


	19. It wasn't supposed to go like this

Everything was ready on the White SeeD ship when Juliette arrived. She was led to the conference room while the orchestra played welcoming music. Laguna, Cid and Gunzler were already waiting for her and the athmosphere was very tense. 

It was silent for a moment before Gunzler said: "So, you decided to come."

"I had no choice, did I? I wanted to see how my ex-husband is doing."

"I'm fine. In fact, I've been fine for eighteen years now."

"Hmm... I heard you spent ten years in jail. I hope you had nice time there."

If looks could kill, Juliette would've been dead.

"Maybe we should discuss about the ongoing war?" Cid suggested, feeling kind of uncomfortable.

"Yes. One of the reasons why I came here, besides meeting my old husband, is that I have an impression that Esthar is considering of pulling out of this war. Is that correct?"

"No," Laguna said. "We're all here because we want peace between Dollet and Galbadia."

"I see. If that's what Dollet wants, then they can surrender. This war won't be over before Dollet belongs to Galbadia."

It was an expected answer. They were still disappointed.

Laguna sighed. "Fine. Then we shall see who will win. Could you explain why Galbadia wants to take over Dollet?"

"You will find out... eventually."

"Hmph. Then, could you explain this: how did you, Raine's sister, become the president?"

"You knew Raine! Oh wait - now I remember - you're the guy who Raine fell in love with! I knew that you liberated Esthar from Adel, but I never associated you with her. Strange, isn't it?"

Laguna didn't reply. He just stared at Juliette, waiting for an answer.

"Oh, fine, I might as well tell my life story. It's true that Raine was my sister - but only a stepsister. We had the same father. I didn't see her too often because I spent most of my time in Esthar with my mother. When the Sorceress War began, my mother sent me to Galbadia as a spy. However, I switched sides. I joined the Galbadian army as a volunteer and since I already had experience of being a spy, I decided to become a spy for Galbadia. After they had trained me, I was sent to Timber among many other spies. By the way, one of the reasons why Timber lost the war was that their armed forces were ridiculously easy to infiltrate."

"And then you became a cook for our squad?" Gunzler asked.

"Yes. And to gain more trust I got married with you. After I had given out your location, I didn't want to work as a spy anymore, but I started creating a career as a secretary. Some time after Vinzer Deling's death I got a job at the Presidential Residence. After that it was too easy to start controlling his successor, Garett Deling..."

"No wonder the guy killed himself."

Juliette ignored him.

"What reason do you have to continue this war?" Laguna asked.

"You didn't get it yet? Garett never wanted to start a war - it was me."

"But why?"

"That is none of your business. I'm leaving. It was nice meeting you all."

* * *

Laguna wasn't satisfied with results of the negotiations. Juliette was already going back to her ship when he rushed after her. 

"Wait a second!"

Juliette turned around. "I think we're done."

"No, I just want to know one thing. Who was your mother?"

"Why do you want to know that?"

"You said that she sent you to spy for Esthar. Only high-rank officers have the power to select spies but back then there weren't any female persons who could've done that. So you must understand why I'm wondering..."

"My mother was Adel."

Laguna gasped. He thought that name would never haunt him again but he was wrong. It hadn't been enought that he had imprisoned her. After she had been killed by Squall and the others, he had thought that he'd never have to hear of her again. But now she had a daughter! A daughter that was related to Raine? Laguna made a quick decision and pulled out his radiophone.

"Seize her!"

Juliette heard that and started running to her ship and made it there. Then Ragnarok flew above the ship and started dropping soldiers to the deck. The Galbadians noticed this and defended their ship fiercely. Laguna started shooting at them from the White SeeD ship, making sure that they wouldn't be able to take off the ramp that connected the two ships.

"What the heck is Laguna doing!" Squall said and followed the soldiers. Seifer came there as well.

"I don't want to miss a good fight," he said.

The chaos was complete. Fire spells set the deck on fire and some of them had to escape by jumping to the ocean. Seifer really enjoyed fighting with the enemies that were quite weak compared to him. He was attacking like a madman, casting some spells occasionally. The opponents ran away in panic, expecially after Raijin joined him.

"Where's Fujin?"

Fujin was at the White SeeD ship and she rushed to the battlefield to assist her friends. Now when the trio was together, they were unbeatable. However, Squall didn't enjoy the battle as much as them.

He killed off the enemies near the ramp, making it possible for Laguna to come there.

"What were you thinking!" Squall asked, sounding rather aggressive.

"I've got no time to explain! Where did Juliette go?"

"She's downstairs."

Laguna killed all the enemy's soldiers who tried to block his access to the hatch that led downstairs. There were only a few cabins and it didn't take long when he found the one where Juliette was.

She was typing something with her computer.

"Surrender!"

She just snapped her fingers and Laguna was thrown painfully against the wall.

"Did I forget to tell you that I have some of my mother's powers?" she said and ran away somewhere on the hallways of the ship.

Laguna stood up and felt that he wasn't able to chase her. Instead, he decided to check out what she had been doing with the computer. It was something that he hadn't expected: missiles had been launched and their target was the city of Esthar!


	20. Sorceress's daughter

Laguna returned to the deck where the battle had already ceased. 

"Laguna!" Squall shouted. "She had a speedboat inside the ship. She's getting away!"

"Everyone, get back to Ragnarok! We'll chase her down."

Juliette had known that she'd have no way to escape when she had taken the boat. However, it was her lucky day; when she was approaching the coast, she saw that Traveller X, the airship, was there.

She left the speedboat at the beach and started running towards the airship. Ragnarok seemed to be moving towards her but she knew she'd make it there. She would have to make it.

A few soldiers that were guarding the airship faced a horrible death when Juliette casted a devastating ice-elemental spell. There were no guards inside the ship so she was able to start the engine.

"Look!" Laguna said and pointed at Traveller X through Ragnarok's window. "It's moving."

"She's from Esthar... no wonder that she can use it," Squall said thoughtfully and made a decision: "Let's stop her!"

There were no big differences between the airships, except that Ragnarok was a lot faster. Still, Juliette wasn't afraid to crash into Ragnarok. That didn't make much damage but it made it shake so much that it was impossible for the people inside to stay in balance.

"She's nuts!" Zell yelled.

Ragnarok retaliated. Kiros, who was piloting it, had more experience of flying and he managed to hit Traveller X in a better angle, making more damage. It took a second for Juliette to recover from that crash but she was able to hit Ragnarok in one of its most vulnerable places: a wing near the back.

"Shit!" Kiros cursed. "That wing was damaged. The ship's getting quite hard to control!"

"Try to hit her in the same spot!" Laguna suggested.

This time the damage that was caused to Traveller X was quite big. The whole rear of the ship caught fire after Kiros had hit it, but Juliette wasn't ready to give up yet. She slammed the airship against Ragnarok's side in very high speed, hoping to get rid of it for good. However, she didn't think that Traveller X's engines might be destroyed.

The burning ship was now completely out of control. During the battle they had moved quite far to the wilderness and Juliette's hopes of escaping were crushed when the ship hit the rocky ground, becoming a piece of flaming junk that was beyond repair. Everyone was sure that its pilot couldn't survived that crash.

"It's over," Squall said.

* * *

Ragnarok landed, not because they were afraid that Juliette might still be alive but because they wanted to check out the damage of the airship. They were all astonished when an explosion caused by a spell ripped a hole to Traveller X's side and Juliette jumped outside. Her hair was messy and her clothes looked horrible but she seemed to be in good health. 

"Did you fools think that I was dead!" she shouted, casting Tornado. She targeted Squall and Laguna with that but they were able to evade. Laguna tried shooting at her with his machine gun but the bullets were blocked by some kind of protective spell.

It was important to get near her as fast as possible because of her long-distance attacks and therefore Seifer, Raijin and Fujin rushed towards her from the other side and Quistis, Rinoa and Zell from the other. They had hard time avoiding her powerful spells like Ultima and Firaga and Seifer's trio fell to the ground when she casted Quake. Quistis tried to strike her with her whip but she was hit by Thundaga, just like Zell and Rinoa.

"Fujin!" Quistis shouted, lying on the ground. "Use Gigantico!"

"Right," Fujin replied. "Everyone, watch out!"

In a matter of seconds Fujin transformed into the enormous monster. It rose up to the air, carried by its strong wings, and hit Juliette with its gigantic robot fist. The monster used its devastating attack more than a few times, raising a huge cloud of dust so it was impossible to see what was happening. Finally Gigantico disappeared and Fujin reappeared.

Quistis was astonished, despite that she had seen it before. "Unbelievable."

When the dust disappeared, Juliette was still there, lying on the ground. But she was moving.

"No way...!" You could see the surprisement on Zell's face. "No one can survive that."

Squall moved next to her, aiming his gunblade at her head.

"No..." she muttered with her last remaining strenght. "I hated my mother. That's why I joined the Galbadian army... I hated her. Really much... I started the war because I wanted Galbadia to become powerful enough to take over Esthar. But they became allies of Dollet... I never expected that... I just wanted to revenge to Esthar... revenge how my mother treated me. I just wanted to be normal... but it's not easy... to be the Sorceress's daughter..."

"If those were your last words..."

Laguna interrupted Squall: "No. I want to do it."

He aimed his machine gun at her and didn't feel any kind of pity when he pulled the trigger, killing the one who had caused so much suffering to everybody.

"Come on. They launched missiles towards Esthar. We have to be there before the missiles reach the city."


	21. Life continues

Some weeks later. 

Esthar was spared from Galbadia's missile attack, thank to its advanced technology. The senseless war had ended and the casualties were big, of course. The city of Dollet suffered greatly because of the fighting and there was a lot of rebuilding to do. The citizens who had lost their family members or friends knew that despite all the sadness they would have to go through, they'd need to make everything like it was before. It would be the only way for them to recover.

There were things that everyone would remember of the war: the miracle of Dollet, when the Esthar forces arrived just in time, destruction of Galbadia Garden, the battle in Centra...

Squall would always remember how he led the attack against the Galbadian forces on their ship and the battle between Ragnarok and Traveller X. Rinoa would always remember the feeling when the president of Galbadia announced that Timber was finally free. But they were both really proud that they had been there and done everything they could, once again.

They were sitting at a café in Timber, watching the first presidential election of Galbadia in more than twenty years. It was a remarkable day and General Caraway was proud to be the other candidate. His opponent was the prime minister but everyone already knew what the result would be.

"The votes have been counted and we have a new president," the announcer said. "The first democratically elected president of Galbadia in twenty-three years is... General Caraway!"

Rinoa was quite excited.

"Thank you," Caraway said and took the mic from the announcer. "This is a great day for Galbadia, this is a great day for democracy, this is a great day for the world!"

The audience started cheering and he had to wait for them to stop.

"Thank you. I wouldn't be here without my daughter, Rinoa. Unfortunately she's not here today but hopefully she's watching this. We have had our differences in the past but she was the one who encouraged me to do this and convinced me that this would be the only way to make this country better..."

Rinoa was starting to blush.

"Come on, Squall. I think it's time to go home."

"Yes. Let's go to Balamb Garden."

When they entered the Garden, Quistis and Xu were at the hallway, looking very happy.

"What's going on?" Squall asked.

"I'm the new headmaster!" Xu said cheerfully.

"What!"

"It's true," Quistis explained. "Today, Cid said that he is going to retire and wants Xu to be his successor."

* * *

Headmaster (or the former headmaster) was standing on the bridge, looking at the setting sun. The thirteen years he had spent at the Garden had been great. Of course there had been times when he had felt like giving up. It hadn't been easy when NORG had bossed him around or when they had had to fight Edea. Still, it was easy to forget about the difficulties he had faced when he thought about all the promising students who had become SeeDs and whose dreams had been fulfilled. It was certain that he would really miss those days. 

Squall and Rinoa came to the bridge.

"I heard about your plans, sir," Squall said.

Cid laughed. "I'm not the headmaster anymore. You can call me Cid."

"Alright, Cid. Why did you decide to do so?"

"Hahaha. I'm too old for this. I realized that I should leave this Garden to someone younger, who could really make this place better. Besides, I want to be with my wife."

"I see."

"And you're probably wondering why I picked Xu to take over my job. Well, she has been here for a long time and she knows a lot about this place, so it was a natural choice. First I thought that I'd pick you, Squall, but then I thought that you'd hate all the office work this job contains..."

Squall smiled. "Sir, I mean - Cid, you couldn't be more right about that."

* * *

Seifer was at his favourite place, the harbor of Balamb, when Raijin and Fujin joined him. 

"What are you doing here alone?" Raijin asked.

"Thinking. Cid told me that I proved that I'm a real SeeD. It just makes me wonder... when I screwed up in Dollet, with Squall and Zell with me, what was I thinking? If I had obeyed the orders, maybe they would've let me become a SeeD. One of the reasons why Edea, or Ultimecia - whatever, managed to manipulate me was that I felt so much hatred against the Garden. If I had been a SeeD back then, maybe I wouldn't have become her lap dog."

"You know, thinking about stuff like that just makes you mad. There's no idea in looking backwards; you should live in this moment and not think about your previous actions."

"Hmm... you know what? That's the wisest thing you've said in a long time."

"I hope that was a compliment."

"It was."

It became silent. They all just looked to the horizont but suddenly Fujin pushed Raijin to the ocean. He was furious.

"Why did you do that!"

"It was becoming too serious," Fujin said with a smirk on her face. "We needed something comical."

Seifer was lying on the ground, laughing real hard. "You guys really know how to cheer me up!"

* * *

Vincent Gunzler was packing his stuff. He felt that he had been the prime minister long enough and it was time to do something more challenging. That's why he had decided to move to Timber. Its government was desperately in need of an experienced politician and he was sure that he could help them. And it felt really good now when he didn't need to think about his ex-wife anymore. 

And Laguna was in his office at Esthar, polishing his machine gun. Seventeen years ago, when they had managed to get rid of Adel, he had thought that he'd never need it again. But life is uncertain and anything could happen. He knew it now.

So they all continued their lives and it means that this story had reached **THE END**.

* * *

Author's note: Man, I can't believe it's finished now. I really loved writing this. When I got this idea in my mind, I knew that it would become something brilliant. And it did (you may disagree, that's just my opinion). However, I'd like to thank everybody who bothered to read this and everybody who reviewed this (not much of them, heh). 

The author-


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